Huckleberry Finn Essay

Ethan Greavu

Mrs. Vogt

English 3 Advanced Placement, Period 5

Literary Analysis Essay

6, January 2015

Society and IndividualityB "This shook me up considerable, because I didn't want to go back to the widow's any more and be so cramped up and sivilized, as they call it" (Twain 35). Individuality is typically hard to find given that society adjusts for the common people to be a part of. A representation of this can be found in the book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. Twain portrays this with a young boy named Huckleberry Finn who breaks free from society. Huckleberry Finn, also referred to as Huck, did not understand the society of his time and to fight against this, attempts to become an individual. The development of Huck's...show more content...

From the beginning, Huck felt guilty for keeping Miss Watson wondering where her slave had escaped to with Huck, but felt returning Jim would lead to regret. As Huck traveled down the Mississippi with Jim, he had an opportunity to return the slave to the rightful owner but Huck believed his moral values were more important than ordinary society expectations. "So I was full of trouble, full as I could be; and didn't know what to do" (227). Huck wrote a letter to the owner of Jim, Miss Watson, informing her of where Jim was before ripping up the letter opposing his own ideas. "I felt good and all washed clean of sin for the first time I had ever felt so in my life" (227). In Huck's lifetime, the public would shame Huck for helping an escaped slave and consider Jim as a father

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Huckleberry Finn

The novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was written by Mark Twain and published on December 10, 1884. This picaresque novel takes place in the mid–1800s in St. Petersburg, Missouri and various locations along the Mississippi River through Arkansas as the story continues. The main character is young delinquent boy named Huckleberry Finn. He doesn't have a mother and his father is a drunk who is very rarely involved with Huck's life. Huck is currently living with Widow Douglas and Miss Watson who attempt to make the boy a more civilized and representable citizen. Later Huck runs away and meets this runaway slave named Jim and they become good friends. As Jim and Huck travel down river in their raft they experience many conflicts....show more content...

People from the south, especially the deep south like Missouri didn't want to be seen in that kind of way. They felt like they were more than just some racist and uneducated fools. Pearl James assertion of how "Twain creates the impression of American folk culture through his use of dialect and phonetic spelling, which mimics speech, rather than writing" is valid because in the real world people are not all the same, everyone is different. Their actions are different the way they speak and the vocabulary is different. Twain wanted to use this information and put it into his writing. He creates various dialects to all the characters he adds into his novel. For example, one reason why this book was first band from schools and libraries was because it had a vigorous debate over the numerous appearance of the "N" word. As awful and disrespectful word that is, Twain used it over and over again throughout the novel. The reason being was because that's how people talked back then. He wanted his novel to be as accurate as he can make it. Furthermore, without the use of this word the novel and dialect would change dramatically. It wouldn't seem to give it that extra kick to make the reader feel like they were there listening to the character's conversation. He uses this specific type of language to access the culture and to accurately define a character and to make it more believable, complex, and therefore dignified. Or it can make them seem merely uneducated, and caricatured.

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Huck Finn Comparison Essay

Malcolm Sims

12/14/2010

3rd Period Huckleberry Finn Comparison Essay The great American novel "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain is about a white southern raised child named Huck Finn and a runaway slave, Jim, running away together. This novel is similar in ways to that of the novel " The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, which is about "the fabulously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his love Daisy Buchanan."(Book Cover) The character Huckleberry Finn is similar to characters of "The Great Gatsby." Huck Finn is similar to Jay Gatsby because of their lies about their families, their reasons for lying, and their frames of reference of what not to do. Huck Finn is also similar to Myrtle Wilson. This is due to the fact that...show more content...

This is evident with Myrtle when she buys the dog on her way to the apartment with Tom and Nick. As quickly as she buys the dog she forgets about it before the end of the party which is sitting on a table "looking with blind eyes through the smoke, and from time to time groaning faintly."( Fitzgerald 37 ) and not once has she gone to check to see if it is out of water, food, or even tries to take it out of that type of environment. For Huck the person he forgets about is his loyal and caring friend Jim. Whenever Huck is living one of his adventurous fantasy lives he never takes a pause to think about what Jim is doing, feeling, what type of danger he might be in, or what he could be going through right now while he's having the time of his life or getting himself in deep trouble on the shore. Conclusively the great American novel "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald has characters that share characteristics with that of Huck Finn from the novel, "TheAdventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain. Huckleberry Finn is like Jay Gatsby because they both lie about their family because they're ashamed of their real on and want what they feel would be a better family for them. They're also alike in the way that they use the same type of person as a frame of reference of what not to do, which helps them build

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We can't define everything in terms of their face value. Everything we study has their own consequences and we should learn to deal with it. "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain describes the story of a boy and the way of life during the period of slavery. Even though the book is been banned in several schools and some say this book hurts the sentiments of the black community but we can't understand history without first understanding what people went through during that time. For that we need to read the book. I think we should take the book as a literary history lesson. Some say the words in the book use a lot of racial slurs but the author had to write those to make it authentic.

"Huck at 100" addresses the controversy surrounding

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In "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," humanity is portrayed as cruel and insensitive. Mark Twain's purpose is to paint a picture of the hypocrisy of society and human nature during this time period. He does this in many ways, specifically by, giving a drunken father custody over his child, skewing Huck's view of morals, and twisting ideas of justice. The context of the story is that a young boy fakes his own death to escape his abusive father and travels down a river with an escaped slave. The book begins with 'Pap' fighting to take custody over Huck, not because he truly cares about the boy but to gain control over the money he possesses. The twisted role of society comes into play when the judge is willing to give Huck over to his father, an abusive drunk. Fortunately, the judge realizes the intent and allows Huck to remain with under the care of the widow. Twain sets the stage of the novel with this interaction to portray how messed up society is that it would put a young boy with an abusive drunk. To go even further, he displays the hypocrisy of society by depicting the other main character, Jim, a black man who runs away in desperate attempt to keep his family together, as nothing more than an escaped slave, a piece of property. Twain uses this contrast to show the heavy racism at this time specifically highlighting the errors of society hinging on white men's decisions. It makes the reader itch knowing that the same people would put a young boy in the care of a Get

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay

Themes to a book can be easy to spot. But going deeper into the pages really defines a novel. One will pick up on things like an author is leaving little breadcrumbs behind for the reader to pick up on. Now, when analyzing text to a book, you must chunk it, small pieces at a time, so one can really dig deep into the pages of the book. So deep one can pry the staples out of the book. Take Chapters 17 and 18 of "TheAdventures of Huckleberry Finn" for example. Huck, a young boy, starts off as the son of the town drunk. Huck's father, as he calls him his "Pap", really is what one would think of when hearing "town drunk". A no good, irresponsible, father. After a few too many, Huck's Pap hallucinates with Huck in the room, and tries to kill him. This event essentially sparks Huck's adventures. After Huck's Pap tries to kill him, Huck comes up with an escape plan. Huck waits for his Pap to leave his cabin and stages his own death. After executing the plan, he takes off in a canoe down the Mississippi River, until he gets to Jackson Island. There, he meets a key character in the story, Jim. Excited to see a friend on the island. Jim acts surprised that Huck is greeting him this way because, in the setting provided in this story, Jim was viewed as a runaway slave and would be killed if Huck turned him in. Huck however, does not see him as a runaway slave. He sees Jim as a friend. The two friends float down the Mississippi and, as said

Huckleberry Finn Thesis

A poor boy with an alcoholic for a father, a friend with an active imagination, and a foster parent who is a saint and think everyone should be civilize. Do you know the story that this descriptive come from??? As you might of guess from the title of the paper it is The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn it basically picks up where it left off from in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. When the story first start off we get introduce to this character name Huckleberry Finn (Huck), Huck starts off by saying "You don't know about me without you have read a book by the name of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer; but that ain't no matter. That book was made by Mr. Mark Twain, and he told the truth, mainly. There was things which he stretched, but mainly he...show more content... Even though it did not say that he thought about in his head on whether it is a right thing to do or not he had to think about it to come up with a decision. He thought about the negative and the positive of letting Pap keep custody of Hunk like would he continuing beat on Hunk or would he change for good now that he got help and is changing his life. This would relate to the theme of freedom, because if you would compare this to a slave owner wanted to get his slave back it would be somewhat like this. Comparing the plight of slaves to the plight of Huck at the hands of Pap, the author implies that it is impossible for a society that owns slaves to be just, no matter how "civilized" that society believes and proclaims itself to

Huckleberry Finn Ending Analysis

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain has been faced with a great deal of controversy when talking about the ending of the novel. Most critics see the ending to be a failure, while others see that the ending is the perfect way to end the story. The ending of the novel seems to have a change in tone from a serious one to something more comedic. The tone seems to change once Tom is introduced to the story. This comedic tone is shown in both the beginning and the ending of the novel with both parts having Tom being included in the adventure. The most obvious reasons why the ending is a failure is with the way Twain frees Jim and with the introduction of Tom. The novel overall is a great piece of literature but is upsetting when it comes...show more content...

Jim's freedom was a game to Tom and this can be seen when Aunt Sally asks Tom why he wanted to help free Jim. "Well, that is a question...goodness alive" (260). Tom and Huck have two different opinions on Jim. Tom doesn't have a relationship with Jim making it easy for him to do more risky things because he doesn't care for Jim health and all he cares about is the adventure. As for Huck, Huck has built a relationship with Jim and his goal is to help Jim achieve his freedom. Lester writes, "Jim is a play–thing...or a torchlight parade" (367). To Tom, the thrill of an adventure is more important than to help Jim escape from slavery. He uses this opportunity to convince Huck to play into this unnecessary adventure and Huck not being able to stand up to Tom does whatever he's told. Lester also talks about how Miss Watson freed Jim in her will even though he was accused of killing a white boy. "Huck, having manufactured...suspect of murdering a white child" (367). There may be a chance that Miss Watson forgot about Jim being accused of killing Huck, but in reality, Jim would have been hunted down and captured if they suspected him of killing a white boy. Lester says that

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All children grow up, and as they grow up, they encounter different experiences that shape them into adults. Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is a coming of age story that showcases the moral growth of a child as he becomes an adult. Twain uses the adventures of Huck, a young boy from the lowest social class of society, and his changing relationship with Jim, a runaway slave, to showcase a key feature of adolescence: learning through taking risks. Huck learns key life lessons in his time spent on land with the Widow Douglas, pap, the Grangerfords, and the Wilks that lead to his decision to "go to hell" (?).

Huck learns the importance of freedom from the Widow Douglas and pap. By the time we finish reading the first page of the novel, we know ...show more content...

Buck, a boy who is the same age as Huck and is quite similar to Huck, teaches Huck both what a feud is and how destructive it can be. Both Huck and Buck seek action and adventure. Buck displays this clearly when Huck comes to the Grangerfords house and the men of the house search Huck to make sure he is not part of the enemy family, but Buck is only woken up when the interrogation of Huck was complete, and he complains "Well, nobody come after me, and it ain't right. I'm always kept down; I don't get no show" (97). Both Huck and Buck are looking to get in on the excitement. Because they are so similar, Huck and Buck quickly become good friends. The lesson that Huck learns from the Grangerfords is particularly forceful for Huck because the fight between the Grangerfords and the Shepherdsons results in Buck's death. Huck sees first hand the death of Buck along with many other members of both families. This emotionally impacts Huck, and he explains that when he saw Buck die, "it made me so sick I most fell out of the tree" (114). Sophia Grangerford, who falls in love with Henry Sheperdson, teaches Huck another way of dealing with feuds. She shows him that an individual can overcome feuds and bridge gaps between families. This new subtle lesson comes up when Huck questions if he should go to hell near the end of the

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What Is The Purpose Of Huckleberry Finn

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is a novel written by the witty and satirical writer, Mark twain, and sets out in fictional St. Petersburg, Missouri, along the shore of the Mississippi River. The story is narrated and told in first person by the main character and protagonist, Huck Finn, who is an adventurous, mischievous, and clever, 14–year–old boy; who struggles with his identity and moral dilemmas. Because of his dire past with an abusive and extreme alcoholic father, named Pap, Huck was taken in by a widow in town named, Widow Douglas, an avid Christian, who wants to "sivilize" Huck.

Huck's main goal in the book is to achieve freedom (from society) and adventure on his own; which he does with Jim, a highly superstitious, runaway slave, who was owned by Widow Douglas' sister, Miss Watson. The two end up meeting on island in the middle of the river and runaway together; making the two characters alike, despite their skin color and age. Both Jim and Huck are seeking to find freedom. Jim is seeking to find freedom from slavery, while Huck is seeking freedom from society and the norm.

What really makes this book stand out is how realistic it is, and how it exposes the way us humans treat each other. Twain's purpose of Huck Finn was to inform his audience the flaws and problems he saw in society back then, which we can still see some of it todays time. One of the biggest issues in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, was slavery. Back then in the 19th century, which was

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was written over the course of seven years by the acclaimed author Mark Twain. It depicts the young boy the writer had forever aspired to be. After faking his death, Huck Finn is taken along the Mississippi River to unknowingly embark on his moral journey. He encounters many convincing characters in his travels, and with these exotic people, comes exotic behavior. In his adventure, Huck is exposed to influences of multiple sides of human nature, and so must choose whether logical decisions or morality is to be followed. The first influence on Huck to be discussed is that of the darker, corrupt, and greedy side of society. This unfortunate commodity is all around him as the teenager ventures into...show more content...

I tried to, but the words wouldn't come. I tried for a second or two to brace up and out with it, but I warn't man enough–hadn't the spunk of a rabbit. I see I was weakening; so I just give up trying, and up and says: 'He's white'" (90). He has this cunning talent, just as the king and the duke do, and so takes advantage of it numerous times throughout the novel, although not in the same context as these corrupt figures of society do. Huck employs this ability for the sake of helping others as well as himself. He lies about his past and intentions to prevent complications for those he cares about, while the untrustworthy characters deceive others for no reason but profitable opportunities. This quote further displays what is going through Huck's mind as he attempts to decide right from wrong. When asked if the man on board was white or black, Huck was planning on telling the truth, with the argument that the ethical decision would be to return Jim to his rightful owner, but an encouragement inside him pushed to keep the truth away from the slave hunters. He was under the impression that this urge was the lack of masculinity, the fact that he did not have the manpower in himself to allow Jim to leave him alone. However, this feeling was the integrity forcing him to realize that the moral decision would be, ironically to lie. The influence of the king and duke do show Huck an opportunity of an easy

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Many families have a father who is drunk all of the time while also doing nothing productive for the family, and a kid who means well but makes the wrong decision many time. In the story this story Twain portrays Huck as a character who is innocent but makes the wrong decision sometimes, while his father Pap is an awful drunk who doesn't care for him at all. Mark Twainuses realistic traits to explain the life of the very complex characters in the book Huckleberry Finn, making the story relatable to even the newest generation of readers. The first character will be Huck, a kid who is just trying to learn and be a normal kid. He makes some mistakes along the way but in general is a good person. He makes a huge mistake messing with Jim in chapter 15: "It made me feel so mean I could almost kissed his food to get him to take it back. It was fifteen...show more content...

Pap has gotten himself into a lot of trouble trying to get the alcohol that he craves. Later Pap gets so drunk that he begins to hallucinate: "By and by he rolled out and jumped up on his feet looking wild, and he see me and went for me. He chased me round and round the place with a clasp–knife, calling me the Angel of Death, and saying he would kill me, and then I couldn't come for him no more." (4.16) He almost kills Huck because he got so drunk that he believed Huck was trying to kill him. Pap is almost a polar opposite of Huck being horrible, not caring, and doing anything he can to get alcohol to get drunk so he doesn't have to deal with

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How Does Mark Twain Use Syntax

Each writer has their own style and uses syntax and diction in different and unique ways. Chapter 12 of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," written by Mark Twain demonstrates three types of writing. The novel and the short story consist of the first–person point of view style of writing, as well as patterned syntactic sentences, and finally informal diction with polysyndeton.

First, both sources include the first–person point of view in which the narrator is usually the main character of the story. This plays a large role in the language structure. This helps to create this specific point of view. In Chapter 12 of TheAdventures of Huckleberry Finn, there are multiple examples of the narrator, Huck Finn, speaking about the plot of the story, directed towards the reader. According to Twain, "I wanted to get aboard of her and slink around a little and see what there was there. So I say: 'Le's land on her, Jim.'" This quote tells the reader, that the narrator is a character, himself, in the novel that is trying to make a connection with the reader. It is easy to notice this when Huck is thinking to himself, and also writes dialogue and conversations with other characters in the story. Twain uses first–person point of view to mold the way the reader interprets the text. The first–person point of view is also present in "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," as both stories are written by Twain, they are deemed Get more content

Analyzing books is normally a very boring task. However, due to the fact that you have a storyline with an uneducated character with no morals that describes the sunrise with admiration, it makes for an interesting analogy. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has many themes to choose from, but I am going to concentrate on morals and intellect. Huck is a poor, uneducated boy, that lives with Widow Douglas and Miss Watson, her self–righteous sister. Huck's father, a no good drunk has come back to town, and kidnapped Huck, in order to try to get at Huck's money. Huck fakes his death and runs away, only to find Widow Douglas's slave Jim has run away as well, fearing being sold to another plantation where he would not be treated so good. The

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Identity is something that separates one person from another. Everyone has his or her own personal identity. To find ones identity you must go through a process that leads you to discover who you are why you are the way you are. One of many themes in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain is the search for Huck's identity. From living with Miss Watson and being forced to view society as everyone wants him to, to living on him own and finding how he really wants to view civilization; Huck journey to find his identity was successful as he had developed into a mature young boy who turned against society and formulated his own opinion on how the world should be lived. He didn't need disguises, made up stories, or lies anymore because...show more content...

Elliot explains that the reason for this is because Twain's interpretations of Huck and the river were perfect. He gave an interesting perspective on Huck that I couldn't agree more with. Elliot compares Tom Sawyer to Huck in the most fascinating way. He says that Tom was the boy that Twain was. He was the boy with a wild imagination, he had the potential to be successful, and everybody followed him. Huck on the other hand, is Twain now. Huck has the ability to see the world how it really is; he sees all the corruption and bad morals. He doesn't judge the world; rather he lets the world judge itself. Huck isn't a follower anymore. He has the ability to make decisions for himself. Elliot adds, "it is Huck who gives the book style. The River gives the book its form." The River was the core of the journey. The River had the power in this novel and controlled Huck and Jim's whole journey. It was the river that ultimately gave Huck his identity. Without this river Huck wouldn't know who he wants to be. Elliot makes a point the point to say that Twain didn't just describe the river, but he made you experience it. Just like the story of Huck Finn doesn't have a real ending either does the river, it just keeps going

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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

"When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him."

– Jonathan Swift

"Thoughts on Various Subjects, Moral and Diverting"

In some works of literature, the main character often finds himself or herself in conflict with the social or moral values of his environment. Choose one novel or play of literary merit in which the character is at odds with the people around him or her, or with society at large. Write an essay in which you explain how these conflicts are essential to the overall meaning of the work.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: An Analysis of Conflict

In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, author Mark...show more content...

While she tries to save Huck from eternal damnation, she fails to realize that she herself is practicing a much more damning institution. She ironically preaches salvation, but she herself is involved with slavery – something the Bible condemns. Another example of this irony is Huck's confrontation with Mrs. Loftus. Although she seeks to aid Huck, she ultimately is part of the reason he is in danger. Her husband is on a search for Jim, who is wanted for not only being a runaway but also for being a suspect in Huck's "murder." With this, the Loftus family puts Huck in more danger than he already was in. As Huck observes the hypocrisy of his society, he feels more inclined to break away from their way of life and instead form his own conclusions about what is right and what is wrong.

Huck's struggle against society and its attempts to civilize him is the starting point of the conflict in the novel. He feels trapped by the standards society has set for him. In order to avoid his culture's influence, Huck flees his life with the adults that have done nothing but set a bad example for him. As he forms a relationship with Jim, a runaway slave, Huck truly begins to question the morals upheld by his society. To Huck, being associated with a slave is one thing, but aiding one in escaping is an entirely different and more dangerous predicament. When Jim is captured, Huck must decide whether to turn Jim

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Starting the Conversation "The difference between the almost–right word and the right word is really a large matter– 'tis the difference between the lightning bug and lightning."(Mark Twain). Mark Twain, the author of an extraordinary yet controversial novel; The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn had a great way of capturing moments in time and bringing them to life through the use of meaningful and direct diction. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been a vexed novel for it 's a use of the "N–word". However, many scholars and associations have devised a "solution" for this problem such as, completely banning the book, creating sanitized versions, or even replacing the book for another American literature novel. "What is so wrong...show more content...

It is odd to think that a high school student would pick up the word "nigger" and use it against another student because high school students have already been exposed to topics such as slavery and racism. Therefore, it would be unlikely for a student to use "nigger" against another student given the fact that race is still a "volatile and divisive subject" in this country and high school students is not ignorant infants that can't distinguish the rights and wrongs about the word "nigger." (Williams, Randle). At this point in time teenagers are exposed to excessive profanity through the media, music lyrics on TV and many times it is not censored. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should be kept in library shelves and schools in its original form because students can receive moral lessons and therefore, mature as human beings. A big part about how a student can react to the novel is how the book is being taught. Teachers should acknowledge the intention and purpose ofMark Twain, which was to appeal to the reader 's emotions through the use of specific diction. Along with teaching the literary elements of the novel the teachers should also imply the ideas and controversies that are being presented in the novel. Twain's purpose was also to capture the moments that defined the 1800s such as slavery and racism. After all, the novel should be taught in its original

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Rachel Kent Mrs.Horan Honors English 10 03 June 2017 Huckleberry Finn Essay The book, "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain is about the adventures that Huck and Jim go on. Huck runs away with Jim and does all he can to get Jim out of Slavery at last. The book takes place in the deep south, pre–Civil War, and shows how prevalent racism was. This historical fiction story goes far enough to humanize Jim and really expose the fallacies of the racist assumptions of slavery effectively attacking racism. Jim was considered a father figure to Huck tackling the belief that African–Americans are inhumane. One of the main reasons Huck ran away in the first place was to escape the horrors his dad put him through. His dad beat him, used...show more content...

Jim almost got hung when he was found, but didn't because of his character and the way he helped Tom when he was struggling for life, after he got shot. Jim has good morals which was shown and helped people realize he should be treated as a normal human being. An example of this is when the doctor that treated Tom says, "I liked the nigger for that; I tell you, gentlemen, a nigger like that is worth a thousand dollars–and kind treatment, too. I had everything I needed, and the boy was doing as well there as he would a done at home–better, maybe, because it was so quiet; but there I WAS, with both of 'm on my hands, and there I had to stick till about dawn this morning; then some men in a skiff come by, and as good luck would have it the nigger was setting by the pallet with his

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Since its first publication in 1884, Mark Twain's masterpiece The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has proven to be one of history's most controversial novels; especially recently, the novel has often been banned by schools and censored by libraries. Characters in the book are constantly using disparaging language toward slaves, and the repeated use of the word "nigger" makes many sensitive and offended. Critics denounce the novel and Mark Twainas racist for this word being insulting and politically incorrect and for its depiction of black people and how they are treated. However, Twain was not attempting to perpetuate racism; on the contrary, he used satire to expose the ignorance and paradoxical views held by many in America at that time....show more content... Huck learns humanity from Jim; without Jim, Huck would be restricted to stealing and lying. Author Charles Nichols maintains that "the heart of Huckleberry Finn is, of course, the developing moral sense of the boy Huck. This growth depends upon his recognition of the humanity of the slave Jim" (212). Twain clearly shows that Jim is extremely moralistic, whose primary function is to further the characterization of Huck by his presence, personality, actions, and words. Additionally, critics object to the novel because it is unfit for children and its language is unsuitable or offensive. Pulitzer Prize–winning American novelist Jane Smiley contends that "to invest TheAdventures of Huckleberry Finn with 'greatness' is to underwrite a very simplistic and evasive theory of what racism is and to promulgate it" and that placing in context Huck's use of the word "nigger" is inexcusable (64). In the nineteenth century, blacks were consistently referred to as "niggers"; if Twain had denied that, the novel's story would have seemed historically inaccurate and essentially meaningless, instead of demonstrating how evil slavery and racism are. If the novel was rewritten to appease the affronted masses, slavery and racism would not even come into play, making Jim's escape unnecessary, and ultimately reducing the novel from a great piece of American literature to a comical story. Barbara Jackson, professor of education at Fordham University, states, "the word was so commonly used that

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Will Mullin Per. G/H

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: Huck's Internal Battle

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was written by Samuel L. Clemens, who is also

known by his pen name Mark Twain. The Adventures ofTom Sawyerwas Twain's first book relating to adventure stories for boys. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn stars Tom Sawyers comrade, Huck. Huck is rough around the edges but a real good kid and...show more content... But of course it had to be blacks because no white person could do such a low thing. The man mentioned skinning them as if it were no big deals and it was normal. With Huck growing up under such conditions it is a wonder he even so much as talked to Jim the way he does. Huck is a victim to this period in time where racism and white supremacy are as strongly believed in as God himself.

Huck not only has to grow up in a world that believes in white supremacy but a household that cares for him no more than any other black slave. His household consisted of him and his Pap, a racist man with no heart for anything but drinking and getting drunk. I used to be scared of him all the time, he tanned me so much"(27). Huck's Father appeared to be a man of little substance by the way Huck had described him, "...most fifty, and he looked it, hair was long and tangled and greasy, and hung down... long, mixed–up whiskers. There warn't no color in his face, it was white; white to make a body sick.... make the flesh crawl...tree toad white...his clothes – just rags"(27). The feeling of the whole description is not one someone would think a fathers own son would give him but this is how Huck viewed his. I think that there was so much dislike and hatred towards his father that Huck's strong feelings may have caused him to stretch or exaggerate the truth. His father not